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International Project Management B-2 Unit 3: Communication Across Borders This document provides common vocabulary found in various stages of presentations. As an oral exercise, presentations have a more informal tone, however the speaker should always remember the audience that will receive the presentation. External audiences or senior level management will typically expect a more formal approach. In addition, as has been dealt with elsewhere, the cultural origin will have much to do with the level of formality. Presenters often are challenged when dealing with non-traditional audience behaviour. What might appear to be very passive or uninterested behaviour in an English-speaking setting may only be seen as polite in another culture. As always, the level of formality will depend upon the target audience of the communication. Formal phrases are found in the left column and the equivalent informal phrase in the right. Formal Informal Introduction Introduction Good morning and welcome to [name of presenter and company, name of conference hall, hotel, etc.]. Welcome to my presentation It is a pleasure to be able to present to you ... I hope you all had a pleasant journey here today. Describing content Morning, I'm ... from ... (name of presenter and company Hi all, thanks for coming I'm here to present You all look rested so let's jump inot the presentation Describing content The purpose of today’s presentation is to … . In today’s presentation I will show you … . / explain to you how … . In today’s presentation I’m planning to … look at … . / explain … . I will begin by In today’s presentation I am going to cover three points: firstly, … , secondly, we will look at … , and Today’s presentation will describe Today we will hear about In my presentation we will look at Let's begin by... Today’s presentation covers three points: first, … , second, we will look at … , and finally Module – Communication Across Borders Unit 3: Communication Across Borders 1 International Project Management B-2 Formal Informal lastly … (adverbs are more typically formal ordering vocabulary) We will start with (regular sentence structure is typically always correct and formal) Referring to visuals (although "finally" is with ly, it is an adjective that is less formal than adverbs) Starting with...(gerunds may be less formal than "regular" sentences, they also have the risk of being incorrect) Referring to visuals This graph shows …(it is wise to have synonyms for the more common presentation verbs) I would like to draw your attention to ... (modal is formal) This chart provides an illustration (nouns "illustration" are more formal than verbs) From this, we can understand how / why…(giving a longer explanation can be more formal) Beginning or ending sections We will now examine... (regular verbs " examine " can be more formal) Moving on to the next section, we can take a look at … ...... (typical sentence structure somewhat more formal) That leads us to our next point which covers We can now proceed to our ... I would like to expand/elaborate on ... (modal is formal) Using persuasion This graph shows you…(speaking directly to the audience is somewhat less formal) Please have alook at ... (lack of modal and imperative sentence is informal) This chart illustrates the figures… This clearly reveals (neutral or informal) Beginning or ending sections Now we'll move on to... (phrasal verbs " move on to " are often less formal) Next, let's move on to ... (shorter sentences less formal than long sentences with more formal verbs OK, this is where ... comes in ("OK" type vocabulary is informal) Right, let's proceed to ...(use of slang, eg, " Right " is informal) I'll expand/elaborate on ... (no modal and contraction are informal) Using persuasion Let's consider this in more detail... That must indicate (must is very hard in English Module – Communication Across Borders Unit 3: Communication Across Borders 2 International Project Management B-2 Formal Informal Where does that lead us? (use of rhetorical questions is frequent in presentations-does not have to be formal) This, of course, will help you to achieve the 20% increase (providing numbers and identifying benefit for the other party is effective) On the basis of these numbers, I would propose (refer to fact for more effect) The positive aspect about this is ... (try to identify benefits) These numbers are convincing, they really support our theory that ... (give the reason to be more persuasive) If we consider these figures in the global context (choice of vocabulary and "big picture" can make it more convincing) The significance of this is... Providing details A good example of this is... That's why you'll achieve the 20% increase (providing numbers and identifying benefit for the other party is effective)" I propose ... Thus, we could We should do "X" ... These figures require that we do ... It is clear that Providing details This is higher than ... (use of comparatives and superlatives (the highest) can be more convincing) The key figure here is .. (it should not be necessary to highlight, but may be done) This further reinforces our point about ... (linking one subject to another is effective) Translated into real terms... Using examples and suggests extreme "informality" Where does that lead us? This is higher than ... What's critical here is ... This is the same as our point about ... (lshorter sentence is less formal) In other words ... (less formal) Using examples "X" is an example (identifying the example Module – Communication Across Borders Unit 3: Communication Across Borders 3 International Project Management B-2 Formal Informal As an illustration,... (nouns are more formal) Thanking audience and questions Thank you for listening – and now if there are any questions, I would be pleased to answer them. That brings me to the end of my presentation, thank you for your attention. I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have. Does anyone have any questions or comments? If you would like me to elaborate on any point, please ask. That's an interesting question. I don't actually know off the top of my head, but I'll task my colleague and get back to you later with an answer. (complimenting the audience's questions is common and more polite) Summarising before saying you will provide one is somewhat less formal) To illustrate this point... (verbs are less formal) Thanking audience and questions Thanks for your time, do you have any questions? That's my presentation, thanks for listening, any questions? (fewer verb forms are informal) Any questions If anything isn't clear, just ask. Good question which I don't have the answer to at the moment. I'll ask Bob and get back to you. Summarising In conclusion,... In summary, ... As a summary, I would like to review (form dictates formality) Finally, let me remind you of some of the issues we've covered... to conclude ... (infinitive is less formal than noun) To sum up ... (phrasal verbs are less formal than nouns) Right, let's sum up, shall we? to remind you of what we've covered Module – Communication Across Borders Unit 3: Communication Across Borders 4 International Project Management B-2 General tips for the presenter A variety of presentation styles or vocabulary can make things more or less formal. The tips below apply to spoken as well as written communication. The following tips may be useful in presentation preparation. shorter sentences are recognised as less formal phrasal verbs ("get back to" you for respond) is less formal contractions (I'll- for I will) can make things less formal use of modal verbs always make things politer use of "we" can be more friendly and positive than "I" don't speak in a flat monotone, vary your voice and pay attention to the types of words other speakers stress active sentences are always more direct (less formal) than passive If you don't know the answer to a question, say you don't know. It's better to admit to not knowing something than to guess and maybe be wrong. if the audience knows they will get a handout they are less likely to be disruptive by taking notes if you can't remember the word, perhaps it's a difficult word for you – one that you often forget, or one that you have difficulty pronouncing – you should write it on an index card Module – Communication Across Borders Unit 3: Communication Across Borders 5